Favor Returned
by Mychand
Summary: Caitlin and Hawke have to deal with the consequences of helping Lisa. *Sequel to Matter of Trust*
1. Chapter 1

**Favor Returned**

_*Sequel to "A Matter of Trust" (I'm not sure how many chapters this one will be yet.)_

**Chapter 1**

Caitlin slowly opened her eyes allowing the room to slowly come into focus. The sun was streaming into the window and the glow of it gave the room a warm and cozy feeling. She rolled over and pulled his pillow to her, taking in the smell of him. She smiled at the thought of Hawke letting her sleep in. She had worked extra late at the hangar with Dom in order to get ready for an upcoming job and he knew she needed the rest.

"One month today," she thought. It had been one month since Hawke finally admitted how he felt about her. It was one month of spending nearly every night together, making love or just snuggling and sharing stories. Caitlin knew that she had never been as happy in her entire life as she was now.

She slowly got up and out of bed and made her way downstairs. Hawke had left her breakfast on the stove along with a little note on the counter.

"Dom and I have a meeting at eleven with the producer," it read. "I'll be back to pick you up sometime after noon. Take it easy and rest. We have a lot of work to do tonight."

Caitlin smiled. She didn't mind the hard work. She loved it and was excited by it. She put the note down and reheated her breakfast, nibbling on it as she grabbed a book she had recently started reading and finished the fourth chapter. Looking at the time, she decided to go and shower so that she wouldn't have to rush to get ready when he came for her.

As the warm water poured over her head, Caitlin thought about their first night together. She couldn't believe how tender and loving he had been and how careful he was not to rush her into anything she wasn't ready for. She laughed when she thought about the expression on his face when he realized just how ready she actually was. She loved it and had wanted to be with him for such a long time. For her, there was no more waiting.

Caitlin climbed out of the shower and put her hair up in a towel before drying off. She threw on her terrycloth robe and sat down at the edge of the bed. She opened the nightstand drawer and took out a small book that she liked to use as a kind of diary. Opening it, she grabbed a pen and began writing down her thoughts about Hawke. It was only then that she thought she heard a noise coming from downstairs.

"It's too early for Hawke to be here," she said out loud to herself as she got up from the bed and made her way down the steps of the loft.

"Tet?" she called out. "Where are you?"

Not seeing the dog anywhere inside, she moved to the front door and opened it before stepping outside. "Tet!" she called out again but there was still no sign of her.

"Hmm, she must be down at the lake," Caitlin thought as she turned to go back inside.

As she walked inside, two men grabbed her tightly by each arm. She screamed out and tried to fight them off but hey proved too strong for her.

"Let me go!" she yelled as they dragged her down the path and towards the small plane that they had waiting for them on the lake. Just before reaching it, another man came up to them. "Hold her still," he instructed as he pushed up her sleeve and injected a liquid into her arm.

Caitlin screamed out again before her mind suddenly got fuzzy and everything went black.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hawke sighed as they finally wrapped up their meeting with the producer and headed back to their Jeep.

"That took way too long," he complained. "I've never seen anyone so overly picky in all my life."

"Well, he's got a tight budget," Dom reminded him. "I can't say I blame him for wanting everything to go right on the first take. We'll just do our best as always."

"Yeah," replied Hawke. "You want to ride with me to pick up Caitlin?"

"Sure," Dom replied. "We can have lunch there before heading back to the hangar."

"Is that all you think about?" Hawke teased. "Food?"

Dom feigned a hurt look. "Hey, I haven't eaten in hours," he replied. "A man can't live on one meal a day you know."

Hawke laughed. "Yeah, I know."

Dom smiled as they jumped into the Santini Air helicopter and headed up to the cabin. "She's been really good for you," he said. "It's nice to see the two of you so happy."

Hawke smiled. "Yeah, I have to admit that she really has been good for me," he replied. "I just wish I hadn't wasted so much time."

Dom reached over and gave him a squeeze on the arm. "Don't look back String," he told him. "Just keeping looking towards the future."

Hawke landed the helicopter and the two joked around and teased one another as they headed down the path towards the cabin. As they got close, Hawke stopped a moment as he noticed the door was left wide open.

He moved quickly towards porch and nearly leaped up the steps. "Cait!" he called out. "You left the door open. Cait?"

Dom quickly followed him inside as Hawke made his way upstairs into the loft. He saw Cait's diary on the bed and opened the bathroom door. "Caitlin? Where are you?" he asked.

"String?" Dom called up to him.

Hawke quickly bounded back down the stairs, his heart pounding. "She's not up there. Her clothes are on the bed and her robe is missing."

"Where could she be?" asked Dom.

Before Hawke could respond, he saw a note on the counter beside the one he had left for Caitlin. He picked it up, his heart sinking as he read it out loud.

"This is what you get for helping Lisa and her husband," it read. "Now you will help us find them or your lady will pay the ultimate price. She will stay alive as long as you follow all of my instructions to the letter. Stay close to your hangar. We will be sending your first set of instructions there. In the meantime I suggest you use all of your resources to find them for me…..or else."

"Damn it!" Hawke screamed. "I should have known this wasn't over. I should have never left her here alone."

"String, you had no way of knowing," Dom replied. "Michael assured us that we had nothing to worry about when it came to you or to St. John and Lisa."

"Michael!" yelled Hawke. "Let's go Dom. He's got a lot of explaining to do."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Caitlin woke to find herself in a small, yet luxurious bedroom. She quickly sat up as she realized that her robe was gone and she was wearing Capri jeans and a tank top.

"Take it easy," said a young woman as she stood up from a lounge chair beside the bed. "Don't worry, my sister and I dressed you," she continued. "You're kind of skinny so it wasn't easy finding something that would fit."

Caitlin let out the breath that she didn't realize she was holding. "Where am I?" she asked.

"We call this place Avery Manor," replied the woman. "It looks like you just might be here for awhile. My name is Camille, by the way."

Caitlin sat up and swung on her legs off of the bed. She looked down as she noticed a strange looking cuff around one of her ankles.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Security," replied Camille. "It will allow you to have freedom to roam the grounds. But you won't be able to leave. Our security guards can use it to track everywhere you go. If you try to leave the perimeter or our land, you'll get an electric shock that will render you unconscious."

"Oh joy," Caitlin replied sarcastically. "Why am I here? What is it that you all want with me?"

Camille didn't answer her question. Instead she handed her a folded menu and schedule. "Here is our meal schedule," she replied. "The chef only works certain hours so I suggest you make an effort to be in the dining room during these times if you don't want to go hungry. My sister will be here shortly and she'll give you tour of the house so you'll know how to get around. Oh, and don't bother trying to use the phones. It takes a special code to get a line out. Otherwise, all calls are internal."

After Camille left the room, Caitlin moved over to the large by window and looked out. She could see that they appeared to be out in the middle of nowhere. Mountain ranges went as far in the distance as she could see and just before that was a large grove of trees right after a huge field filled with horses.

"Where is this place?" she thought before looking down at the cuff that was attached to her ankle. "How am I going to get away with this thing on me? There just has to be a way."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hawke and Dom stormed into Michael's office. To their surprise, he wasn't shocked to see them.

"Have a seat," he told them as they made their way in. "I've been expecting you."

"You know about Caitlin?" Hawke asked angrily. "What the hell is going on Michael? You said it was all over and she'd be safe."

"If you'll sit down, I'll explain," Michael replied trying to keep his cool. "I didn't lie to you when I said she was safe. She was safe until our guy escaped from prison yesterday. The people at the prison dropped the ball. They were embarrassed by how easily he got away. Needless to say, we weren't informed until a few hours ago."

"What are you going to do about it?" asked Dom. "They have Caitlin. They know St. John and Lisa are alive and they want them in return. How the hell are we going to get her back?

"With my help," replied St. John.

Hawke and Dom turned around quickly to see him standing in the doorway behind them. Hawke stood up and slowly walked over to him. He found himself shaking uncontrollably. He knew St. John was alive and Lisa had fully explained why he'd disappeared. It was hard at first for him to accept but he'd grown to understand that his brother had no choice and that staying away was what had kept him alive all those years. But still, it was overwhelming for String to see his brother standing before him. He was speechless as he stood and stared at him.

"String?" replied St. John. "We'll get her back, I promise."

Tears filled String's eyes as he finally moved towards his brother and hugged him tightly. "It's so good to see you," he admitted. "But, you took a big chance coming here."

"I love you String," he replied. "I can't let you lose the woman you love. Besides, with all you did for Lisa, I owed you the favor."

String shook his head. "I don't understand," he replied. "How did you get here so quickly?"

St. John smiled. "I insisted that we be relocated just outside of California. I guess I wanted to keep tabs on you and I'd hoped to eventually get to see you," he replied. "I just hate that it's under these circumstances."

"Me too," String said softly before turning back to Michael. "What are we going to do?"

"We think she's being held at his compound," Marella spoke up. "Problem is, we don't know where it's at."

"Lisa knows the layout though," said St. John. "She sketched it out. They took her there to do a portrait of his daughters. Problem is she was blind folded for the entire trip there. They told her that it was for privacy. She said it took about an hour for them to drive out there from the apartment she was staying in."

"That could be anywhere," complained Dom.

"Not exactly," replied St. John. "She recalled it being in some sort of mountain valley. That gives us some direction. We know it's not on the coast."

"I've already started researching," replied Marella. "Give me some more time."

Hawke sighed. "We need to get to the hangar," he told them. "We were told we'd receive our instructions there."

"You two go," replied Michael. "We'll be in touch and let you know if we find out anything."

Hawke hugged his brother again. "I've really missed you," he admitted. "Please don't leave without giving me some time to talk to you."

"I promise we'll get the chance to talk," replied St. John. "I'm not going anywhere until I know that Caitlin is safe."

"Thanks," Hawke replied as Dom took him by the arm and walked him out of the office.

Hawke stopped and looked back as Marella closed the office door after them.

"It's going to be okay String," said Dom. "We'll find her."

"I pray your right," he replied softly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Hawke and Dom got to the hangar as quickly as possible. Neither spoke a word as they made their way inside. Within minutes of their arrival, a messenger came to deliver a package.

Hawke signed for it and quickly opened the box.

"No…" he said softly as stared at the contents.

"What is it?" asked Dom as he moved closer and looked inside. "My God, is that Caitlin's?"

Hawke pulled out the blood stained robe along with a photo and letter. The picture showed Caitlin unconscious and covered in blood.

Hawke felt as though he couldn't breathe as he read the words on the paper.

It said:

_I changed my mind. Lisa ran from me when all I wanted was for her to be a part of my world. If only she would have listened to reason instead of trying to mess things up for me. Your lady paid the price for Lisa. Now I'm done and you will no longer hear from me. _

Hawke went numb. "She's gone," he whispered so low that Dom could barely hear him.

"String…" Dom was at a loss for words. "We don't know that for sure."

"Damn it Dom," Hawke screamed this time. "I tried not to ask too many questions for St. John's sake but I need answers. I want to know everything possible on this guy. He's going to pay for this."

Dom followed as Hawke quickly ran out of the hangar and jumped into the Jeep.

"I'll drive," Dom insisted, worrying that Hawke's mind would not be on the road.

Hawke sat quietly as they made their way back to Michael's office. He couldn't get Caitlin out of his mind. She had become everything to him and now, just like all the others, she was gone. He thought back to the last time he saw her. She was sleeping soundly all snuggled up in his bed. They had lay in bed and talked for hours the night before. He wanted so badly for her words to comfort him but even the thought of what she'd told him brought tears to his eyes.

_"__You know String," said Caitlin. "I understand why you are so afraid to fall in love. I guess I can't blame you. I think I'd be the same way. But you have to know this. No matter what happens to me from this day forward, I've never been this happy in my life. So, if it all ends tomorrow, it was worth it."_

"Was it really?" Hawke asked in a whisper.

"Huh?" asked Dom as they pulled into the parking lot.

"Nothing," he replied. "I was just thinking about something Caitlin told me."

Dom put his arm around Hawke and pulled him into a hug. "I loved her too," he replied. "This feels like a bad dream."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Caitlin turned around quickly as another young woman entered the room.

"Hi," she said softly. "I'm Miranda. Father asked that I show you around."

Caitlin moved towards her but stopped short as she felt a slight tinge of pain in her calf.

"Ow," she said softly as she reached down and pulled up her pant leg. "What happened?"

"Oh, they needed some of your blood," Miranda replied matter of factly. "It's just a scratch. You'll be okay."

"Why would they need my blood?" replied Caitlin. "And who is they?"

Miranda sighed. "Look, I can't say too much or I'll get in trouble. Just come with me and let me give you the tour."

It wasn't until then that Caitlin noticed Miranda had on the same security ankle attachment that she had.

"You're here against your will too," she replied. "Why would your father keep you here?"

Miranda moved close to Caitlin and grabbed her by the arms. "Shhh," she replied. "Look, he's not really my father. He's not Camile's father either. He's delusional and thinks he is. Please, just play along. He killed one girl for not playing along. He would have hurt the last one too but she slipped out before he decided he wanted to keep her."

Caitlin stared at the girl. "Was her name Lisa?" she asked.

"Yes," she whispered. "He wanted her to paint our portrait but he took a liking to her. She figured it out. He thought she would come back and finish the portrait and then he'd take her. But, she disappeared and never came back. We'd hoped she'd send someone for us but that never happened. Do you know her?"

"Yeah," replied Caitlin. "But she never mentioned you or any of that."

"Look, I've said enough," Miranda replied as she pulled Caitlin towards the door. "Let me show you around and then just go along with everything they tell you. If you do, you won't be hurt."

"That's good advice," Mr. Avery said, startling the two women. "Miranda here is a good girl and stays out of trouble. You will do well to listen to her."

"What exactly do you want with me?" asked Caitlin.

"I just want you to be a good daughter and listen to your father," he replied with a smile. "Do you think you can do that?"

Caitlin looked at Miranda and took a deep breath before answering. "Sure," she replied reluctantly. "Whatever you say."

Mr. Avery smiled. "Good," he replied. "As long as you follow the rules, you'll have pretty much everything you've ever wanted or needed here. Camile gave you the menu schedule but if there is something more you desire, please let the chef know for next time."

"Okay," Caitlin replied, choosing to go along with the charade.

"Okay then," said Mr. Avery. "Miranda will now show you around. This will be your room. Lights are out by ten and the staff will awaken you for breakfast at six. I expect you to stay in your room during those hours."

Caitlin watched as he promptly turned around and headed down the stairs.

"I know what you're thinking," Miranda told her. "He limits the movement at night due to less security on watch. But, these ankle bracelets still keep us on the property. Camile and I tried to make a run for it one night. We got the shock of our lives. He was pissed but got over it. We were lucky he didn't kill us. After that he slipped even more into his delusional state. Sometimes I think he really believes we are his daughters."

"Why?" asked Caitlin as she followed Miranda down the hallway.

"I don't know," she replied as she showed her where the bathroom was located. "We tried to find out from some of the staff but no one will say. They just keep telling us that we ARE his daughters and to let it alone."

Caitlin followed Miranda around the rest of the house and grounds in silence. She studied the layout in hopes of figuring out a way to escape. When they got to the stables, she couldn't help but to be intrigued by all the beautiful horses inside.

"Are we allowed to ride?" she asked.

"Sure, we can now if you want," replied Miranda. "It's the only time we're allowed to go beyond the house. As long as we stay in the property boundaries they've established, its fine."

The two women picked out their horses, saddled up and headed out to the pasture. Caitlin looked around at the mountain range that surrounded them.

"Do you know where we are?" she asked.

"I wish I did," replied Miranda. "I've been here for two years now and I still have no clue."

"It looks familiar," said Caitlin. "Maybe I've flown over this before."

"You fly?" asked Miranda.

"Yeah, I'm pilot," replied Caitlin. "So are my friends. I just know they are out there looking for me."

"I doubt it," Miranda replied sadly.

"What do you mean?" asked Caitlin.

"You asked me why they needed your blood," she said. "They needed it as proof for your friends to think you are dead. They covered your robe in it and mailed it to them."

Caitlin's heart sank. "I still think they'll want a body," she replied. "My friends won't give up."

Miranda sighed. "I hope your right," she replied. "I really do."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

When they got back to Michael's office Hawke stormed in and dropped the box on his desk.

"What's going on?" asked Michael.

"You tell me?" demanded Hawke as he opened up the box and took out Caitlin's robe. "I need your people to test the blood on this and see if it's really Caitlin's."

Michael pulled the note out of the box and read it. "I'm sorry Hawke," he replied. "There are some things we need to tell you."

"I just want to know how to get my hands on this guy!" Hawke demanded.

"Easy String," St. John replied as he tried to soothe his brother's anger. "We'll get her back."

String stared at his brother. "It's too late for that," he replied sadly. "She's dead."

"I highly doubt it," replied Michael. "My guess is he wanted to keep her."

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Dom. "What's going on here?"

Michael motioned for the two men to sit down. "Have a seat," he said. "I guess it's time I fill you in on everything."

Hawke sat up in his chair and stared at Michael. "What haven't you told us?" he asked.

Michael sighed deeply. "St. John was working for us and investigating Avery for money laundering," he began. "Of course, at the time only one of our team knew it was St. John. He found out that Avery wanted a portrait of his daughters so Lisa volunteered to go in and see if she could get any information while she was there."

"That's not new information Michael," complained Hawke.

"Let me finish," Michael replied. "Lisa has a good memory for details. It turns out that she recognized one of Avery's daughters as a woman who disappeared off the balcony of a cruise ship and believe dead. She verified it and found that she and another young woman were being held there against their will."

"Avery took a liking to Lisa," St. John chimed in. "One of the women overheard Avery talking about keeping her and she told Lisa. Avery has business partners all over and I was afraid for her safety since we still had no clue where his compound is located."

"So that's why you wanted her to stay with String," said Dom.

"Yeah, but we were closing in on Avery for his money laundering," said Michael. "He was set to make a business deal with St. John but got distracted with Lisa. He found out about Hawke and thought she was involved with him. Avery was furious. We needed to get to him and the only way was to make it look like Lisa had died. Once that happened, he set the deal with St. John and we got him."

"What about those girls?" asked Dom. "Didn't you think it was important to find them?"

St. John sighed and shook his head. "He made a plea deal and promised to show investigators where the girls were being held," he added. "That's how he escaped. He had several of his men ambush the escorts and free him. We didn't find out until after Caitlin was taken."

Hawke stood up and began pacing the room. "So you think she's alive?" he asked, hopeful. "You think he faked her death?"

"We'll test the blood on the robe," replied Michael. "Still, it doesn't mean she's dead. He was looking for a third daughter and we believe that since he couldn't get Lisa, he chose Caitlin."

"This man sounds crazy," said Dom. "Why would he want these women as his daughters?"

"He lost three daughters eight years ago in a car accident," said Marella. Dom turned around. He hadn't noticed she'd entered the room and was listening to the conversation.

"Avery was driving drunk and caused the accident," she continued. "Apparently he's a psychotic. He's trying to replace what he lost."

Hawke sat back down and sighed deeply. "Why Caitlin?" he asked.

"Maybe partly for revenge but I think it's more," replied Michael as he pulled out a photograph of Avery and his daughters. "Caitlin looks a lot like his oldest daughter."

St. John patted his brother on the shoulder. "Did you ever notice that Lisa and Caitlin kind of favor one another?"

String looked up at his brother."Yeah, I did," he replied.


	5. Chapter 5

_I got a little stuck, hence the long delay in chapters. So, I decided to post what I had for chapter four and then change it up a bit for this chapter. No, you didn't miss any chapters. :o) The rest will just be told "after the fact". _

**Chapter 5**

**_Two Months Later_**

Caitlin slowly climbed out of the Santini helicopter. She stopped a moment when she saw him sitting on the front porch of the cabin. He stared at her as she made her way towards him.

When she got to the foot of the porch steps, she stopped and studied him a moment, placing her hands on her hips and sighing deeply.

"What do you want Caitlin," he asked in an agitated tone.

Caitlin felt her anger rise. "I just want to know what happened?" she asked.

"What?" he asked.

"Us?" she replied sarcastically.

"I really don't want to talk about it right now," he replied.

Caitlin backed up a moment and caught herself from moving towards him on the porch.

"Two months ago I was kidnapped from your bed," she replied angrily. "The night before was amazing. You act like it never happened."

Hawke sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He wanted so badly to tell her how he felt. He knew he loved her but fear ruled his heart. He couldn't help feeling she'd be better off without him.

Caitlin took a deep breath and steadied her anger. "You're a coward, you know that?" she told him.

"Caitlin, go home," he replied sharply. "Let it go."

For some reason his comment seemed comical to her. She nearly chuckled.  
"Really?" she replied. "Me, let it go. I'll tell you about letting things go. I don't live my life hiding from the world because things don't go my way. Hell, I'd have every reason to run away and never love another sole again after what Ken did to me. But, unlike you, I'm not a coward. I chose to move on with my life and not live in fear because of the past."

Hawke sat quiet and stared at her. His lack of response unnerved her.

"Okay," she replied. "You win. But I want you to know that believing that you loved me is what kept me going all that time I was at Avery Manor. It made me want to fight and get out of there. I'm glad I didn't know it would turn out like this. I guess none of that really matters now."

Caitlin turned and headed back to the dock where the helicopter sat perched and ready. She could feel his gaze as she made her way there and climbed inside. She held back the tears as long as she could but once inside she couldn't control her emotions any longer. This was a man she'd loved for two years. She gave her heart and soul to him and now he seemed to be pushing her away as though it all meant nothing.

After a few minutes, Caitlin composed herself, wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. As she was about to hit the switch to start up the helicopter, Hawke opened the door and grabbed her by the arm.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"No," she replied angrily. "I need to go. If you want a ride, I'll send St. John back for you."

"Come back to the cabin," he replied. "We'll talk."

"You just told me to go home," she retorted. "We're done talking. There's nothing left to say."

"Caitlin," Hawke began.

"Stop Hawke," she nearly screamed trying hard not to show him how upset he'd gotten her. "Please shut the door and let me go. Please, I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?" he asked softly.

"I can't keep living my life loving someone who isn't capable of loving me back," she admitted. "I don't even blame you anymore. You're a product of your past. You're no longer able to love. I get it. I'll get over it. Now let me go."

It was that moment when Hawke noticed the bruises that covered both of her arms. He looked closer and could see that her makeup had smeared with her tears and had uncovered a large bruise under one of her eyes.

"My God Cait, did he hurt you?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said firmly.

Hawke jumped into the helicopter with her and took one of her hands in his. She tried hard not to look up at him but his demeanor had changed from what it had been when she first approached him on the porch. She knew that no matter how stubborn he'd been, he was concerned about her.

"I'm sorry," he said as he squeezed her hand lightly. "Please come back up to the cabin and talk to me."


	6. Chapter 6

_This took way too long to finish and didn't turn out quite the way I had originally imagined. But, it's done. I really never intended to leave it hanging for so long. I just needed to get the characters "back in my head" in order to complete it._

**Chapter 6**

Caitlin sighed slightly. "It's okay Hawke," she nearly whispered after taking a deep breath. "I shouldn't have come. The doctor said I should be resting and not getting all upset."

Hawke's concern grew. "Are you okay?" he asked staring at her.

Caitlin couldn't look him in the eyes for fear that he'd see right through her.

"I'll be fine," she said abruptly. "You can go ahead and go back up to the cabin now."

"No," he replied bluntly. "I'm not going anywhere. If you want to go, I'll fly you back."

Caitlin shook her head. "I'm not an invalid," she replied. "You don't have to do that. It's best you just leave me alone now."

Hawke grabbed the radio and contacted Michael. "What's wrong with Caitlin," he demanded to know as soon as he reached him.

Michael was a bit hesitant. "I can't really say," he replied. "You'll have to ask her yourself."

Hawke stared at Caitlin as he replied. "I've tried but she doesn't seem to want to budge. She flew out here and wants to leave. Is she fit to fly? Can you at least tell me that?"

Michael sighed. "It might not be such a good idea right now," he replied.

Caitlin shot Hawke a dirty look. Defeated, she finally gave in. "Fine, fly me back," she replied. "Do whatever you want. Just get me home."

Hawke shook his head. "Nope, not right now," he replied.

"What the hell Hawke," she nearly screamed this time. "Make up your mind. First you want me to go and now you suddenly won't let me leave. Why?"'

"Because you were right," he nearly yelled back. "I am a coward. I'm so afraid of losing you that I thought it would be easier to just let you go."

Caitlin climbed out of the helicopter and sat down on the dock. Hawke followed her and sat beside her while wrapping one arm around her waist.

"Maybe it would be easier for both of us," she finally replied. "I can't do this anymore Hawke. I waited for two years and then I had to fight for two months to get back to you. It shouldn't be that hard."

"No, it shouldn't," he said softly as he picked up her arm and studied it. "Did he….."

He was almost afraid to ask.

"No, he didn't hurt me like that," she replied. "He did abuse one of the other girls and well, I got these bruises trying to help her. Then when he turned on me as a result, Miranda hit him over the head with a fire stocker.

Hawke took a deep breath. "Yeah, St. John said that Avery was dead. I'm sorry I wasn't there to rescue you. We had found out about the two different compounds and St. John just happened to pick the one you were at."

"St. John was great," she replied. "He really knows how to deal with hysterical women," she replied with a near chuckle.

Hawke gave her a slight smile. "Yeah, sounds like St. John." He was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "Tell me everything that happened when you were gone Cait," he finally asked. "I really need to know."

Hawke stared at her. While he waited for her to gather her thoughts, his mind drifted to those two months that she was gone. He spent so many days picturing her in his mind. He knew every curve of her body and every freckle on her face. His missed her terribly but somehow that didn't seem to be enough when she returned. He pushed her away and until now he didn't want to know what had happened. But now, for some reason it seemed important to him.

Caitlin took a deep breath and stared back at him. "Okay," she replied softly.

"When I first got to the compound the girls befriended me immediately," she began. "Avery put ankle monitors on us to keep us from leaving as well as keep track of where we were at. Since we weren't sure if our rooms were bugged, we began horseback riding out to the main pasture and just sitting out there and talking. Little by little we started working on a plan to escape but it was hard not to feel that it was all hopeless."

"That must have been difficult," he replied.

"They told me that you all thought I was dead," she said. "I wasn't sure if you were even still looking for me. But, I couldn't give up. I guess I'm not one for admitting defeat."

Hawke smiled. "That's for sure," he chuckled.

Caitlin smiled back at him. "Just when things seemed hopeless, Miranda started up a relationship with one of Avery's guards," she continued. "At first I thought it was a game but then I realized that she was serious about him and he appeared to have the same feelings for her. He started joining us on rides and he managed to get word to his brother about the location of the compounds. He knew Avery had two and he knew where they were located, but they had kept even the guards in the dark about which one we were all at because they were brought in blind folded. That's how the Firm got word of the locations."

Caitlin began to chew her lip. Hawke took her hand in his and squeezed it. "You don't have to go on if you don't want to."

"It's okay," she replied. "The rest is important. You see Avery got word of Miranda's affair and he grew angry. Rumors started that she was pregnant and he ordered her to take a pregnancy test to confirm it. She freaked out and begged me to help her fake it by taking it for her."

"What happened?" he asked.

Caitlin shrugged. "Avery eventually found out the truth and we never saw the guard Peter again. Miranda was heartbroken. That's when Avery turned on her and I tried to protect her. When he turned on me, she managed to end it all. A few minutes later St. John stormed in with Michael. The girls true identities were established and they were taken home. And, here I am."

Caitlin grew quiet for a moment, unsure of exactly how to proceed.

"Look Hawke," she finally spoke up. "I'm going back to Texas in the morning. St. John promised me that if I talked to you first, he'd fly me out. Honestly, I wasn't going to come. I knew how you felt and that you didn't want to be with me anymore. I guess I listened to St. John because I needed to know for sure."

"Caitlin…" he started to reply but she reached up and put her finger on his lips.

"Shh," she said. "It's okay. I have no regrets."

Hawke leaned over and grabbed her around the waste again. This time he slowly rubbed her stomach as he pulled her closer to him.

"Caitlin, are you pregnant?" he asked as he whispered in her ear.

Caitlin nearly lost her breath as he continued to rub her slightly bulging belly.

"Three months," she whispered back.

Hawke gently turned her around so she was now facing him. She stared into his eyes and saw the warmness in them that she had missed for so long. He smiled at her before pulling her to him and kissing her.

When he pulled away she stared at him before responding. "Look Hawke, I don't want you to feel like you have to be with me because of the baby," she replied softly. "I'll be okay in Texas. My family will help out until I'm settled. You're welcome to come and see the baby anytime if you want to. If not, that's okay too."

Hawke stood up and helped Caitlin to her feet. "Come on," he said has he led her back up to the cabin.

"I thought you were going to take me home," she replied as he nearly dragged her up the cabin steps.

Hawke grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. "Cait, you are home," he whispered.

Happy tears streaked down her face as they walked inside of the cabin together.

**The End**


End file.
